Exemption
by ManiacalBliss
Summary: preview -“We need to-” Austin’s hand covered my mouth lightly and he shook his head. I could still see the gnawing craving in his eyes, the one that scared me to death, and I looked back at him worriedly. I felt his lips kiss the my neck before he bit me.


It was pouring outside, as usual, and nothing in particular was bothering me. It was a fairly normal Saturday. But since the beginning of the day, I'd been having this strange sense of deja-vu that I couldn't seem to shake. It was like from some distant memory.

I walked to the front hall that connected to my small living room and led off to the kitchen, and which also had stairs reaching the upper levels of my house. On the pretense I was going up to my room, I began to ascend the stairs, but on the first step, I paused. Something seemed very familiar about this scene… Then it all connected together; this was where my messed up and partially horrifying nightmare took place. I, standing on the stairs, seemingly awaiting someone to burst through the door, which happened, and then came in a boy drenched with water, and the person's shirt was saturated in black blood… And I still didn't know who it was.

Out of no where, I started to laugh at myself. What a ridiculous thing to think! It was just a dream, no need to be worried… Anyway, was it even possible to bleed black blood? Chuckling at my preposterous thinking again, I began to climb the stairs. But a loud bang at the door made me freeze in my tracks.

"Eliza- Elizabeth!" I heard someone shout weakly from behind the door. But it was hard _not_ to recognize that intoxicating voice.

"Eliza, please let me in!" I heard him moan from behind the door. There was another bang, but not quite as loud as the last time; it seemed like he was losing his strength so that he was not able to rap as hard as before on the door. There was something wrong with him, and at that thought, I panicked, running back down the few stairs I had managed to climb so I could wrench open the door to get him in.

Austin was drenched with the rain, making his grey shirt seem black and same with his blackish-brown hair. His once-brown eyes were black, and slightly unfocused. His white skin seemed especially pale now against all the black. But despite all of this, he still looked beautiful beyond imagination. Now, actually, with all that seemed black on him, he looked like the prince of night.

But then I took in the more important details. Like the way he looked at me desperately, his dark eyes reflecting a sinister need, and the black blood that was bleeding like ink out of a huge gash on his side. There were several other cuts like these along his mangled body, but none as bad as the one on his right side.

I gasped. The frantic look remained on his face and in his eyes.

"Austin… w-what happened to you?" I was astounded, and I took his wrist to guide him in, but that seemed to set something off. The second my warm skin touched his glacial-like arm, the temperature I'd been expecting, what I could see of his pupils dilated and his eyes lost the desperate look; now they showed a ravenous hunger that sent an icy chill up my spine.

"Eliza? Are you all right? Who's down there?" Darren was calling from me up from his room. It was only him and I that were home. Austin took a swift step toward me, eyeing my neck feverishly. I blinked, trying to understand what was happening. Austin took another step closer to me, coming into the house more. All I could see in his eyes was that horrifying look. I took a step back.

"Austin… Do you need any help?" He was inside the house now, still eyeing me hungrily. I put a hand on his chest to stop him from entering anymore, probably the stupidest thing I could've done.

"Austin, stop, you are scaring me," My voice was extremely small, what with the nervousness and uneasiness coursing through my veins.

Austin didn't say a word.

"Elizabeth! Who's here?" My brother's voice was a bit more gruff and irritated; meaning that he had gotten up from his bed to see what was happening with me downstairs. I bit my lip, and tried to force Austin back again. He really was scaring me now.

"Austin! Stop it, this is not funny," My voice had gone up a few octaves in alarm. But, all of a sudden, he collapsed to the floor, probably from all the blood -if that was blood- that was dripping from his injury. It was staining the rug where I stood.

Gasping in alarm yet again, I pulled him away from the door, and shut it before sitting down on the floor myself to put his head in my lap. I ripped the sleeve off my dark green shirt, lifted up his ripped shirt slightly so I could reach the wound, and tied it around his waist where the biggest cut was. It barely made it around.

I heard him murmur something, but it was unintelligible. His head had lolled to the side, so I straightened it back so he was facing me. I checked his pulse, and found that there was none. My eyes popped open wide, and I practically screeched that we needed to get him to a hospital.

Darren appeared at the top of the stairs, and when he saw Austin's head in my lap, and the gushing wounds, he was also alarmed.

"Elizabeth? What is going on?" He asked cautiously and calmly. He didn't start to descend the stairs.

"We need to-" Austin's hand covered my mouth lightly and he shook his head. I could still see the gnawing craving in his eyes, the one that scared me to death, and I looked back at him worriedly. He was going to die if he didn't get to the hospital and get blood. Why wasn't he dead now? I felt no pulse but that could be a trick… and I also presumed my eyes were playing a trick on me from sleep deprivation, and that the black colour of his blood was just a delusion.

"Austin, we have to get you to a hospital. Don't be foolish." My voice came out a little garbled because I was talking so quickly; a cause of extreme anxiety. He gazed into my eyes without the look for one second before it returned, then out of no where; he gently pulled my head down so that his lips were at my neck. I trembled at his closeness, and wondered idly what he was doing.

"Austin, what on earth are…?" I wasn't able to finish my sentence because he whispered in my ear, "I knew this was the wrong place to have come, and I knew I was going to end up hurting you," He paused for a moment. "But I can't hold on any longer. I hope you'll forgive me." Now I was really befuddled, and I started to panic again.

I felt his lips kiss the hollow at the bottom of my throat… before I felt his teeth go in. I panted, and my eyes had grown wide again. My face was sure to be shocked. I was now struggling for breath; a small scream escaped me, and I was afraid that if I let go of Austin it would hurt even more; so I clutched myself him. I felt some blood dripping from where he bit me, but other than that he was draining me. And as he began to gain strength, I lost mine. He was partially sitting up now, still holding me tightly as if I would try to escape.

Suddenly feeling drowsy, I collapsed on top of him, a pleasing cloud of lethargy washing over me. _What was happening again…? _

I heard someone's almost incomprehensible voice behind me, shouting someone's name…

"Eliza! What are you doing to her you bastard! Let her go!" I felt someone yanking my arm away, trying to pull me away from Austin, but I stayed securely locked in place. Feebly, I also tried to cling as hard as I could; I didn't want to feel any more pain.

Surprisingly through the black foggy haze I was currently trapped in, my senses still worked perfectly. I smelled my own blood, the scent repulsing, and then I heard the hurried footsteps of someone running away toward what I though must be the kitchen.

Suddenly, I felt I was being released, and I tried to cling onto him, but he gently removed my hands from their twisted grasp in his wet shirt. He kissed my forehead before he ran toward where the other person ran. What had happened…? Was Austin okay now? What had just happened to me? My thoughts were in a big jumble, all twirling and confusing… Then I suddenly felt the pain.

A more powerful, ear-splitting scream escaped my lips, and I curled into a ball with what little strength I had left. It felt like someone was setting me on fire, then putting it out with ice cold water over and over again. What was happening to me? Being bitten wasn't nearly as horrible, and I don't even know why or how I was bit. People weren't supposed to bite other people, let alone suck the blood… The pain reared up high and brought me under, so I thought at this point was impossible. It was spreading from my neck wound, higher up my throat and down my shoulder.

All of a sudden, I felt the strong, cool arms around me again, and heard someone swear under their breath.

"I thought I got it all out," Someone, presumably Austin, hissed. I felt his teeth suddenly re-enter my neck wound again, and felt him draining again… I didn't know if I would have enough blood to live after this. But the fire was receding, dimming to a point where I hardly noticed it anymore, and the cloud of exhaustion settled over me yet again. My muscles gave out, and I crumpled in his arms, at ease again, sighing as I lost consciousness.

The next thing I was aware of, I was in a very large bed, in a spacious and comfortable room. I was under a warm blush-pink comforter embroidered with white daisies and other various flowers. Off to my right, there was a huge closet and bathroom, and on my left there was a stereo connected to several speakers around the room. A fairly large stack of CDs were stacked beside it. The three walls that I saw were white, light yellow, and a light pink. It almost looked like a child's room. I sat up, and looked around me more to get a better look around- and to see if there was a clock to at least see what time it was. Looking around, and not seeing one, I got up off the bed tentatively, testing myself. Everything felt so weird; I felt like I was walking on a cloud and not on my own two feet. Suddenly there was a light tap on the door, and I almost fell to the ground, but a pair of petite, pale hands caught me before I reached the white plush carpet. I looked up to see Alison holding me up by my arm, the door behind her open. I immediately presumed this to be her room, since she liked these kinds of childish-like things. And instantly after that, I wondered what on Earth I was doing in her house. Correction: all the new kid's house; _Austin's house._

I looked up into Alison's warm, innocent honey eyes. She gave me a sheepish look, and then moved me back onto the bed.

"You might not want to do that yet. You're going to be a little tipsy for a bit." Her voice also expressed how embarrassed she was. I frowned quizzically.

"Alison? What? What am I doing here?" I took one last swift glance around me; this definitely looked like a child's room who didn't know what colour to paint it.

Alison's mood shifted almost instantly; she glared at me.

"I told you before to call me Al, please. And as for your question, you'll find out later. Right now you need to take it easy. For my sake, please lay back down." She pleaded, her eyes scorching and almost impossible to deny. I sighed as I got back down on the bed. But I glared at her all the while.

"Well, is there anything besides the first question I had that you can clear up for me?" She shook here head sadly.

"No, I'm afraid not." I groaned.

"Ugh. You have no idea how confused I am right now. I can't remember anything. Can you at least tell me what time it is?" Al looked down at her watch swiftly, so swiftly that I didn't catch the movement. Maybe my brain was playing a trick on me again; Al said I _was_ going to be tipsy.

"It's three in the morning." My eyes widened.

"What?" I gasped. I had missed all last night. My mother would be so worried, and if she didn't know where I was all night, she would probably still be up, ready to call in a search party at any moment… I had to get out of here, and get to her, _now. _

I jumped up from Al's bed, forgetting momentarily my dizziness, and almost falling flat on my face. But I caught myself, and ran to the door. Al was in my way before I could open it, and I was momentarily dazed at her speed. I shrugged it off, and tried to get around her.

"Al, let me by. I have to get back to my mother before she freaks." Al muttered under breath, too low and quick for me to her, but it sounded something like, "It seems she already has…" My eyes widened at that, and I attempted more frantically to get by her, but failed miserably.

"Please, Al, please," I pleaded. She shook her head grimly.

"You can't go anywhere in the condition you're in." My eyes widened, and my voice expressed the hysterics I was in.

"_What condition? Why can't I leave?"_ She sighed through her teeth, and pulled me over in one freakishly quick motion to the mirror in her bathroom. I looked at my reflection, and was absolutely shocked at what I saw. My hair was in complete disarray, matted and muddied everywhere. The clothes I had picked out yesterday, presumably yesterday anyway were torn, also mud-caked and bloodied. The main blood spatters were around the neck of my shirt. I could see a pale, moon-crescent mark that looked remarkably close to a person's teeth marks, although there was no blood there, if there had been before. I was missing a sleeve, and my bare arm felt cold. My face was very, very sickly pale. The deep purple bags under my eyes, and the way my eyes looked glazed over only added to the sick look. I stared at my reflection, openly shocked and wondering idly how I had ended up that way.

"What happened to me?" I asked breathlessly. Al's eyes were bleak, yet determined.

"You were attacked by my brother." The room started spinning as memories creeped back up on me. _Austin had attacked me_. Everything became painfully clear.

Austin forcing himself into the house, the hungry, terrifying look in his eyes, him out of no where biting me, the dizzy feeling as the blood was drained, then my brother… _My brother_. Darren. What had happened to _him_?

Suddenly, everything came crashing down on me, and I felt dizzy, numb, and I began to fall sideways. Before everything went black, and I fell to the cold, hard floor, Al caught me.

It felt like seconds later when I shook off the blackness, and woke in the bed again, Al sitting beside me, watching me with tense eyes.

"Are you okay, or are you going to faint on me again?" She asked seriously, yet I took it as cynicism. I laughed as I sat up again, despite my still worried state.

"No, I don't think so. Not unless you pull another one of those overwhelming facts over my head. Coupled with the way I looked, I was bound to black out on you." Her tinkling laugh was hard. And my attempts at sarcasm to try to momentarily cease my panic were failing.

"Yeah, probably. I guess I should have changed you before you woke up." I looked at her again, trying to control my dread. There was a silence, and a question bubbled to my lips.

"Where's my brother?" Her whole body tensed, and she looked at me worriedly, her mouth turned down in a grimace.

"I'm not totally sure…" She eyed me worriedly. My eyes had widened, and all my muscles tensed, ready to jump up like I wanted to; again.

"Wha…?" Al covered my mouth quickly with her hand, and cut me off in the process. She glared at me.

"Don't do that again. It's hard enough to look after you- I forget what it's like to be human, and it's very hard to understand why you are being like this." Her face told me she was horrified; as if she let something slip. My eyes widened, my muscles giving out so I collapsed back on to the pillows. Today was just full of surprises, wasn't it? And horrible, nasty surprises at that.

"What exactly are you then?" My voice was strained. She looked at me sympathetically.

"I don't think you're quite ready to hear that." I shook my head furiously.

"No, I think I'm perfectly ready. I mean, I've seen so much already, and I have always wondered what exactly you are." My eyes narrowed on her at that last part. Why had she never told me in the first place?

"I think it would be best if you found out yourself. It would put you into shock, I think, if I told you myself. I'll give you your space for a bit." She got off the bed, and I began to protest, but she was already out of the room. How would I find out on my own? I had barely any leads.

In my mind, I started to compile oddities about Al and… Austin-wince-. They were all beautiful, intelligent, seemingly older for their age, and from what Al demonstrated, very fast. But that could be a trick my mind played on me also. Then there was how cold they were, how I never saw them eat… And the biggest, most important thing that I would have t use to identify what exactly these people were was the way Austin… attacked me. He _bit_ me. He drained my blood. And there was only one thing that could ever do that, but it was impossibly hard to think the word… But I forced it anyway. _Vampire_.

My eyes widened as I realized the awful truth. Austin and his whole family were vampires. My face paled even more, and I felt like I was going to disintegrate with the horror I felt.

What would I do? How would I deal with this? I could not be surrounded by a blood-sucking coven of vampires… but yet again, I had been for awhile… And there was no reason to turn away from them. It didn't seem there was a reason for them to hurt me, and now that I knew… There was no turning back. I couldn't. I felt this inescapable bond toward Austin, and I didn't care if he didn't feel the same way. It had been there unconsciously from the moment I looked into his eyes, and had the spine chilling sensation thrill through my body. There was no choice. I would stick by him, and guard his secret. Even if he didn't want me to, I would…

I sat back on the pillow, and reveled at how easily I had accepted these people to be vampires, real vampires that apparently weren't myths anymore.

It was now time to snap out of my illusion, and face Al. I wanted to know more about her… kind.

Sighing, I called quietly to her. My voice could barely manage a whisper. But, apparently she heard me because the door was open a second later and she stood at the door, her eyes concerned. This proved even more to me of what she was. Who else would have heard that? I had to take a deep breath before I could continue.

"Al, I think I realize what you are now," She tensed, her eyes tightened, and her body went rigid. She looked as if she was prepared for the worst; like she never wanted me to find out in the first place. But I continued to look at her.

"You are a… vampire…" The last word was barely whispered, but Al obviously caught it because she sighed resentfully, and closed her eyes tightly, nodding tightly, her body still ram rod straight. None of the tenseness went away even if I had said it.

"Yes… unfortunately. What?" She had opened her eyes, and was staring at my frowning, incredulous face.

"Am I on a freaking game show where they trick you into believing something entirely impossible?" She laughed a hard laugh, and shook her head. But then she was serious again, and frowned, looking me straight in the eye. Her eyes willed me to believe her.

"No, you are definitely not. Do you think I would do anything that cruel to you? Humans and their silly game shows… I can't believe your people do that to each other…" I looked at her honest face, and tried to keep control of the emotions showing on my face. Recognition washed over me. This wasn't just a horrifyingly real dream; this _was_ terribly real. And there was no turning back now.

A shudder worked its way down my spine, and then I regained my composure and stood up, not afraid at all anymore. After all, Al had never done anything to hurt me so far, and I think she would have just killed me when Austin didn't finish the job earlier.

That thought was accompanied by a wince, and then I looked her in the eye and strode up to her. She seemed the slightest bit shocked that I wasn't recoiling from her presence.

"I have a few questions to ask you, if you don't mind," I looked at her briefly, and she instantly nodded. But then she cocked her head to the side and stared at me curiously.

"You're not afraid? After what my brother did to you, I thought you would have been way more difficult than before." Her words burned with interest. I simply shrugged.

"I figured if you wanted to hurt me you would have done so already. Now, let's go sit. I have many questions for you." She sighed.

"I guess that's to be expected." She was already walking toward the bed, her body and movement a blur. I shook my head in wonder, and went to sit down next to her. She smiled complacently, seeming happy that I was not scared of her. I smiled back tentatively.

"Now, let's begin."

**_Tell me if you want this story to be continued... this is not the first chapter, but a preview of the story. Tell me what you think, and if I should continue by reviewing :) _**


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